There's something scary about a mob. No matter the cause or the intentions something happens to individuals when they are multiplied by a certain number, brought in close proximity and all aiming the same way - like a missile. In this case the opposing groups were wildly disproportionate in size and in the early stages there didn't seem to be any police presence. From the 9th floor I could make out angry shapes holding up signs in each others faces, waving flags and screaming. Gradually the police showed up in greater numbers but the crowd on one side kept growing and it roared with an animal fervor. You could imagine what that emotion could become if it was unleashed. If I wanted to protect someone vulnerable from the mob I could not have. Floating above the small figures below I was just a powerless spirit hoping only that the winds blew favourably.